High readings

[Neeny84]

Fasting reading was 7.6 after breakfast was 8.3 didn't eat lunch went out. Before dinner was still 8.3 then after dinner 7.7.
I did have some acv before dinner.
I really need help. Im 1 point from being diabetic at 47mmol.

 

[KennyA]

Hi @Neeny84 . Whatever you do will take time to have effect, so don't assume there will be an improvement today or tomorrow. The other thing is that if you're stressed, it will tend to result in your liver raising your blood glucose, so it's also worth trying to relax.

Your liver will usually be trying its best to maintain your BG levels at what it's come to accept as a "normal" level for you. But livers are slow learners, and it takes time for them to adjust to change. This is probably the case for everyone.

At the moment for you that "not normal normal" looks to be around high sevens/eights. Don't fret too much about the decimal points - there's sufficient inaccuracy in the test to explain that - for example, a true BG value of 6.0 could produce test results anywhere from 5.1 and 6.9, and still be "acceptably accurate".

If you are not seeing substantial differences between your pre-meal and +2hr readings, I would tend to think that you are limiting carbs in those meals to the point where your system can cope fairly well. In other words, your issue as presented is not so much what's in your food at the minute, but more the fact that your system is still geared to "normal" being around 8mmol/l. That doesn't mean that other meals/drinks/snacks aren't contributing to it.

That will take time to change. In the short term, some people report exercise as tending to lower BG. The problem is that not everyone reacts/responds in the same way. For me, something like walking has no real impact. Heavy work, like digging, does reduce my BG, but once I do something that involves adrenalin, such as football, it raises BG. All short-term impacts, though, and they depend on you not adding any glucose to the system while it's going on. The point of the exercise is to deplete glycogen (how glucose is stored) stores, so that the body replaces those from the "excess circulating glucose". However, I didn't do any exercise at all when I was reducing my BG, and for me it wasn't a factor.

I think it's advisable to avoid a T2 diagnosis if at all possible. There are no real benefits, to my mind. Once diagnosed, you can never be undiagnosed - so here I am, five years in remission, last diabetic/out of normal range HbA1c result January 2020 - and I'm still diabetic and unless they change the rules always will be. I guess you've just had an HbA1c? That should give you at least three months, and more likely six, before you have another. And you will only be diagnosed after an HbA1c at 48 or above (and probably want a confirmatory second test, if the result is close to 48 - because of testing inaccuracies.) You have time.

So you don't need to be in normal range today or this week: but you can start to make progress today or this week.

 

[Neeny84]

Hi @Neeny84 . Whatever you do will take time to have effect, so don't assume there will be an improvement today or tomorrow. The other thing is that if you're stressed, it will tend to result in your liver raising your blood glucose, so it's also worth trying to relax.

Your liver will usually be trying its best to maintain your BG levels at what it's come to accept as a "normal" level for you. But livers are slow learners, and it takes time for them to adjust to change. This is probably the case for everyone.

At the moment for you that "not normal normal" looks to be around high sevens/eights. Don't fret too much about the decimal points - there's sufficient inaccuracy in the test to explain that - for example, a true BG value of 6.0 could produce test results anywhere from 5.1 and 6.9, and still be "acceptably accurate".

If you are not seeing substantial differences between your pre-meal and +2hr readings, I would tend to think that you are limiting carbs in those meals to the point where your system can cope fairly well. In other words, your issue as presented is not so much what's in your food at the minute, but more the fact that your system is still geared to "normal" being around 8mmol/l. That doesn't mean that other meals/drinks/snacks aren't contributing to it.

That will take time to change. In the short term, some people report exercise as tending to lower BG. The problem is that not everyone reacts/responds in the same way. For me, something like walking has no real impact. Heavy work, like digging, does reduce my BG, but once I do something that involves adrenalin, such as football, it raises BG. All short-term impacts, though, and they depend on you not adding any glucose to the system while it's going on. The point of the exercise is to deplete glycogen (how glucose is stored) stores, so that the body replaces those from the "excess circulating glucose". However, I didn't do any exercise at all when I was reducing my BG, and for me it wasn't a factor.

I think it's advisable to avoid a T2 diagnosis if at all possible. There are no real benefits, to my mind. Once diagnosed, you can never be undiagnosed - so here I am, five years in remission, last diabetic/out of normal range HbA1c result January 2020 - and I'm still diabetic and unless they change the rules always will be. I guess you've just had an HbA1c? That should give you at least three months, and more likely six, before you have another. And you will only be diagnosed after an HbA1c at 48 or above (and probably want a confirmatory second test, if the result is close to 48 - because of testing inaccuracies.) You have time.

So you don't need to be in normal range today or this week: but you can start to make progress today or this week.

Yes recent results were 47. So almost diabetic. Fasting results in morning is always over 7 which is a concern. How long would it take to go from 47 to 48??
I have reduced sugars, reducing carbs, eating better.
I've been given no guidance whatsoever by my GP. Just a text to say my results and eat better lol.
I have lost 5lbs this week but I'm lost. I am trying to read as much info as possible but it's overwhelming if I'm honest.. I'm 10 stone over weight for my height. I've brought mounjaro, never started it. Was in January but my world turned upside down and I'm not in a good place. Stress Is a huge factor in life and I do have fatty liver.
I'm not motivated to exercise it's so shameful how lazy I've become over the years. 7yrs ago I was 12 stone or less. I was so busy and always on the go.

I'm having apple cider vinegar with water before or after meals. Idk of it helps but ill try what I can.
I don't drink enough water. Never have. I do try. I'm enjoy peppermint tea though.

 

[ianf0ster]

@Neeny84
We T2 diabetics are all different, but in general exercise (both for weight loss and for t2D control) is over-rated.
Because aerobic exercise often leads to raised blood glucose (the liver dumps glucose in your bloodstream to give you more energy), it usually makes you hungry and so encourages eating. Resistance exercise (weights) is thought by many to be better for T2D control because it builds muscle (which holds more glucose) without making you feel hungry.

Most people find that they do more exercise after they have lost weight, rather than increased exercise actually driving weight loss. This is due to the fact that it no longer hurts!

I only used diet (low carb, no snacking, intermittent fasting) to put my T2D into remission. I did very little exercise just a 30min brisk walk each day, which I still do - just that I now walk much further in those 30 mins. A brisk walk is a pace at which you can talk, but not sing.

For most people I suggest trying to lose weight slowly (the NHS advised rate is between 1lb and 2lbs per week on average), but 10stone overweight is a lot and so in your case it may be better to risk the (temporary) eyesight changes and loose skin, by losing your weight faster than that if you can do so without too much difficulty.

Unless you feel thirsty all the time, don't worry about water. There are some silly numbers on the internet about how much 'water' we should drink. Those high numbers ignore A). That our food contains quite a lot of water. B). That all drinks - even tea. coffee, sodas, beer and wine all count as 'water'. C). Most of us don't live in a very hot country and are not professional athletes who need to keep fully hydrated, so we require less water than those doing a triathlon in southern California!

I never found that apple cider vinegar reduced my appetite, but eating protein with plenty of the fat that naturally comes with it certainly did! The biggest mistake people trying Low Carb can make is to cur calories, particularly fats and oils because doing so means slower fat adaptation (being able to use your own body fat for energy) and more stress because of feeling tired, cold, week hungry. A low carb way of eating when done correctly should be easy and enjoyable! If it's not then it's either being done wrong, or it just isn't suitable for that particular person. Like I said at the start, we are all different.

Best of Luck,
Ian

 

[KennyA]

Yes recent results were 47. So almost diabetic. Fasting results in morning is always over 7 which is a concern. How long would it take to go from 47 to 48??
I have reduced sugars, reducing carbs, eating better.
I've been given no guidance whatsoever by my GP. Just a text to say my results and eat better lol.
I have lost 5lbs this week but I'm lost. I am trying to read as much info as possible but it's overwhelming if I'm honest.. I'm 10 stone over weight for my height. I've brought mounjaro, never started it. Was in January but my world turned upside down and I'm not in a good place. Stress Is a huge factor in life and I do have fatty liver.
I'm not motivated to exercise it's so shameful how lazy I've become over the years. 7yrs ago I was 12 stone or less. I was so busy and always on the go.

I'm having apple cider vinegar with water before or after meals. Idk of it helps but ill try what I can.
I don't drink enough water. Never have. I do try. I'm enjoy peppermint tea though.

The difference between 47 and 48 is negligible in practice because it's within acceptable testing error. Don't worry about that for now given you have months before your next test.

What worked for me (in a similar situation to you) was greatly reducing carb intake. I went from HbA1cs of 50 (Sept 2019) and 49 (January 2020) to 36 in April 2020. I'd started a ~20g carb/day regime on 9 December 2019. Weight loss followed, some time later, over the next couple of years. I didn't start exercising until I'd lost enough weight to do so without risking injury. So,in short, what worked for me was serious low carb on its own. Not just reducing carb, but almost eliminating carb as part of my diet. The only carb I eat comes/came from veg, which went alongside meat/dairy as what I ate.

I don't think there are any "miracle" additions to diet that will "reduce blood sugars" as frequently promised on social media. So I don't see apple cider vinegar etc as essential or even recommended. It's more about what you don't eat.

Of course people will try to sell you stuff that promises you don't have to do anything other than pay for and use their product. In over five years on this forum, I have never seen anyone come back on on one of these miracle solutions with any evidence of success. That ought to indicate something.